Saints Play a Pair of Nailbiters On Opening Weekend

The Seward County Saints opened their 2013-2014 season this weekend at the Pepsi Classic with mixed results.  In their opener Friday, the Saints struggled throughout the night against a veteran Southern Colorado Kings team.   Despite leading by 10 midway through the second half, Seward saw their lead slip away and the Kings finished the game on an 11-2 run to shock the Saints 71-68 in the final minute of action.  Saturday the competition got even tougher as they took on Northwest Kansas Tech, a team that upset Seward at home a year ago.  The Saints got off to a slow start, but led by one at the half.  Seward found themselves down 6 in the second half, but a furious late game comeback, filled with whistles, brought the Saints back and a last minute defensive stand sealed the 72-69 to even Seward's weekend record at 1-1. 

                In their opener, the young Saints who entered the season with just four sophomores, matched up with a Southern Colorado Kings squad that featured a 41 year point guard and a number of former NCAA Division I and Division II players.  In past matchups, the games between the Saints and Kings had been shootouts, but in this one, it was a defensive battle early on.  The Saints held the Kings to just one field goal in the first four minutes of the contest and took a 10-4 lead after a bucket from Tyreke Sharp with 13:15 to go in the half.  The Kings came back to tie the game at 12 after a 6-0 run, but Seward came right back, outscoring Southern Colorado 6-1 in the next 2:46 to take an 18-13 lead with 8:10 remaining in the first.  The Saints extended their lead to six at 25-19 with under five minutes to go, but struggled as the half came to a close, seeing their lead erased and then a 7-2 Kings run in the final 1:23 of the half make it a 35-30 game in favor of Southern Colorado as the teams hit the locker rooms at the break. 

                The numbers for both teams in the first were similar as each shot 38% from the floor, but the Saints 12 turnovers and 0 of 5 from three point land helped put them in a 5 point hole.   Niem Stevenson had half of the Saints 30 points at the break while Darius Pope had 18 of the Kings 35. 

                Seward came out of the locker rooms ready to go.  The Saints held the Kings without a point for the first 5:49 of the second half, going on an 11-0 run to begin the period to match their largest lead of the game to that point at 41-35.  Seward continued to push and after a Kevin Smith pullup jumper, found themselves on top 47-38 with under 12:00 left.  The Saints looked like they just about had run the Kings out of gas as they took their first double digit lead of the night at 51-41 with 9:26 remaining, but in the next four minutes, the Kings had cut the Saints lead back down to one at 54-53.  The Saints went ice cold on the offensive end and Southern Colorado continued to take advantage.  The Kings took their first lead since early in the half on a basket by George Pollard with 2:46 left, but out of a timeout, the Saints scored and used the lift to go on an 8-2 run to go back up by six, 66-60 with 1:20 to go.  A quick three by Pope and a turnover and three by Antonio Dye tied the game up in a matter of seconds.  The teams went into the final minute deadlocked at 66 before Evan Allen knocked down a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left to put the Saints back up by two.  The Kings weren't looking to play five more minutes of basketball and immediately went for a three on their next possession.  The shot was off the mark, but the Saints were unable to clear the glass and the Kings got another shot at it and this time, they didn't miss.  Pope nailed a three from the wing to silence the Greenhouse crowd and put the Kings up 69-68 with just 8 seconds to go.  The Saints had the ball and a chance to take the lead with a basket, but a drive to the hoop was cut off by the Kings defense and a jump ball was called, with the possession arrow pointing towards the visitors.  After a foul and a pair of Southern Colorado free throws, a last ditch effort on a halfcourt heave for the Saints drew nothing but glass, and for the second time in three years, the Kings escaped Liberal with a victory, this one 71-68. 

                The Saints actually outshot the Kings in the second half 43% to 33% but Seward's lack of connection from beyond the three point line hurt them as the Kings outscored the Saints 27-3 from deep and had 12 offensive rebounds in the contest.  Stevenson led the Saints with 27 points, the most points in a debut since Latiq Agard scored 28 to open the 2008-2009 season.  Smith was the only other Seward player in double figures as he finished with 14. 

SEWARD COUNTY/SOUTHERN COLORADO BOX SCORE

                Saturday night's contest wasn't about to get any easier for the Saints as they squared off with one of just two teams to knock them off in the Greenhouse last season in the Northwest Kansas Tech Mavericks.  Secean Johnson came out of the gates firing for the Saints and nailed a three on their second possession, but after that it was eight straight points for the Mavs to put the Saints in an early 8-3 hole.  The Saints hung in there and with 14:20 remaining in the half, took the lead back on a drive and score from Verdell Mays.  The game remained a close one for the remainder of the half with neither team leading by more than 4 points.  After Northwest snatched the lead back with 3:32 to go in the half, the Saints closed the period on a 6-3 run to carry a one point, 35-34 lead into the break. 

                Seward again struggled offensively in the half, shooting just 29%, but the Saints were able to get to the free throw line 23 times, cashing in 18 of them to hold the slight halftime advantage. 

                Unlike Friday, the Saints were ice cold coming out of the halftime break on Saturday.  Northwest Tech immediately took the lead and stretched it to their largest of the game at 43-37 just four minutes in.  The Saints played from behind until the 11:24 mark when Malcolm Hill-Bey drove to the basket and scored to tie the game back up at 49.  The Saints and Mavs went back and forth until a three from Sharp put the Saints back in front 58-55 with 7:46 to go.  Seward extended their lead to four, but couldn't put any more distance between themselves and Northwest Tech.  The Mavericks again came back to tie the game up at 62 and after a fastbreak score, had a 64-62 lead with 3:52 remaining.  With 2:15 left and the Saints now leading by one, a foul on the Mavericks and subsequent technical foul on Northwest Tech Coach Jase Herl proved costly as Smith hit two of four free throw attempts to give the Saints a 68-65 lead.  After a parade of free throws on both ends, the Saints stretched their lead to two possessions at 71-67 with 1:15 to go on another Smith conversion.  Two free throws from Colorado State commit Gian Clavell drew the Mavs back to within two on their next trip down the floor.  The Saints missed a three on their next possession, but an offensive rebound by Quentin Purtue forced Northwest Tech to foul with the shotclock turned off.  Purtue made one of two on his trip to the line to put the Saints up 72-69 and a buzzer beating attempt by Clavell to tie the game fell short as the Saints hung on to win 72-69. 

                The Saints won despite shooting just 35% from the field in the game and again they struggled from the outside, connecting on just 6 of 27, good for only 22% from three point land.  What saved the Saints in the victory over the Mavs was committing just 10 turnovers, less than half of the 23 they committed opening night, and 30 points from the free throw line where they shot 64%.  Johnson led the Saints with 19 points in the win before fouling out while Smith added 17 and Hill-Bey pitched in 10. 

SEWARD COUNTY/NORTHWEST KANSAS TECH BOX SCORE          

                The Saints start the season 1-1 and will have their work cut out for them in the next two weeks as well.  Seward travels to Garden City this weekend to take on #25 North Platte and Kingdom Prep before returning home November 15-16 when they host #9 South Plains and Midland in the Billy's/Days Inn Classic.